History has a weird way of feeling like it's stuck in the past until it suddenly isn't. When most people think about a president being targeted, they probably picture grainy black-and-white footage of Dealey Plaza or Ronald Reagan waving before the sidewalk turned into pure chaos in 1981. But if you’re asking when was the last presidential assassination attempt, the answer isn't buried in a history textbook from the eighties. It happened much more recently than many realize, and the details are still sending ripples through the way the Secret Service operates today.
Honestly, it’s chilling.
On July 13, 2024, the streak of decades without a direct, high-velocity kinetic attempt on a president or major candidate ended abruptly in Butler, Pennsylvania. Donald Trump, the 45th president and then-presumptive Republican nominee, was mid-sentence at a campaign rally when the air was split by gunfire. It wasn't a "close call" involving a intercepted letter or a guy with a knife at a fence. It was a sniper with a clear line of sight.
The Day the Security Perimeter Failed
The event in Butler was a massive failure of what the Secret Service calls "the bubble." It’s sort of surreal to watch the footage now. Trump was talking about immigration charts. Then, pop-pop-pop. He clutched his ear, dove to the ground, and the world basically stopped spinning for a second.
Thomas Matthew Crooks, a 20-year-old from Bethel Park, had crawled onto a roof just about 150 yards from the podium. That’s roughly the length of one and a half football fields. For a rifle, that’s an easy shot. Too easy. The fact that a "high-status" target was nearly killed on live television in 2024 changed everything about the national security conversation.
The aftermath was messy. Secret Service Director Kimberly Cheatle eventually resigned because, let’s be real, you can't have a rooftop that close to a president left unsecured. It’s the ultimate "you had one job" scenario. They had identified the building as a potential vulnerability but somehow, the communication between local police and federal agents just evaporated.
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It Happened Again (Sort Of) Just Weeks Later
If Butler was the most visceral answer to when was the last presidential assassination attempt, the events of September 15, 2024, at Trump International Golf Club in West Palm Beach proved it wasn't a fluke.
Ryan Wesley Routh didn't actually fire a shot. But he was there. He had an SKS-style rifle poked through a chain-link fence while Trump was playing a few holes away. An eagle-eyed agent saw the barrel—which is what they’re trained to do, thank God—and opened fire first. Routh fled but was caught shortly after.
Why does this count? Because the intent and the proximity were there. Under federal law and the general public's understanding of "attempts," these two events in 2024 represent a terrifying return to a style of political violence we thought we'd left in the 20th century.
Why 2024 Felt Different Than the Past
When you look back at someone like John Hinckley Jr. (the guy who shot Reagan), he was motivated by a bizarre obsession with Jodie Foster. It was a lone-wolf, mental health crisis played out on a global stage. The 2024 attempts felt more like a symptom of a deeply fractured society.
We’ve seen a lot of "thwarted" plots over the years that don't always make the front page because they never got close.
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- In 2017, a man tried to flip a forklift into Donald Trump’s motorcade.
- In 2011, Oscar Ramiro Ortega-Hernandez fired a semi-automatic rifle at the White House, hitting the glass of the residential area while Obama wasn't home.
- We can't forget the ricin letters sent to Obama, Trump, and Biden at various points.
But Butler was different. It was physical. It was bloody. It resulted in the death of a rally-goer, Corey Comperatore, who shielded his family. That’s the nuance people miss: an assassination attempt on a president often has a body count that isn't the president.
The Evolution of the Secret Service Response
After these 2024 incidents, the "Standard Operating Procedure" was basically thrown out the window. If you see a presidential candidate outside now, they are often behind bulletproof glass—a "fishbowl" effect that used to be reserved only for the most high-risk international summits.
The Secret Service started using more drones. A lot more. They also realized that relying on local "militarized" police forces isn't the same as having dedicated federal agents who speak the same radio language. The 2024 events exposed a massive gap in how we protect people in the age of long-range optics and decentralized radicalization.
Looking Back at the "Long Silence" (1981–2024)
For about 43 years, we didn't have a president or major candidate actually get hit by a bullet. That’s a miracle of technology and intelligence. Most "attempts" during this time were caught in the planning phase.
Take the 2005 incident in Tbilisi, Georgia. Vladimir Arutyunian threw a live grenade toward President George W. Bush and the Georgian President. The only reason we aren't talking about that as a successful assassination is because the grenade was wrapped in a red tartan handkerchief that kept the firing pin from rotating. Pure, dumb luck.
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Or the 1994 incident where Francisco Martin Duran fired nearly 30 rounds at the White House with an SKS. He thought he saw Clinton in a group of men in suits. He didn't. Clinton was inside watching football.
The Takeaway for Today
So, when was the last presidential assassination attempt? Technically, September 2024 (West Palm Beach) or July 2024 (Butler) depending on how you define "attempt" vs. "thwarted plot." Both highlight a massive shift in the American security landscape.
What does this mean for you? It means we are in a period of heightened "political volatility." It sounds like a buzzword, but it’s the reality. Security isn't just about the guys in sunglasses anymore; it’s about drone tech, counter-sniper positioning, and monitoring the dark corners of the internet where these plans often start.
Actionable Steps for Staying Informed
History isn't just about dates; it’s about patterns. If you want to actually understand how these events shape our world without falling into the trap of conspiracy theories, here is what you should do:
- Read the GAO Reports: The Government Accountability Office and the Department of Homeland Security release "After Action" reports. They are dry, but they tell you exactly what went wrong—like the radio frequency issues in Butler.
- Diversify Your News Intake: When an attempt happens, the first 24 hours are full of lies. Look at international news sources (like the BBC or Reuters) alongside domestic ones to see how the story stabilizes.
- Understand the Protection Tiers: Realize that sitting presidents get a different level of protection than "major candidates." This was a major point of contention in 2024 and led to new legislation requiring equal protection for top-tier candidates.
- Monitor the Legislative Response: Keep an eye on the "Enhanced Presidential Security Act." It’s a direct result of the 2024 attempts and dictates how much of your tax dollars go toward these protective details.
The 2024 attempts served as a violent wake-up call. They reminded us that the "end of history" didn't happen and that the physical safety of the executive branch is much more fragile than the thick walls of the Oval Office might suggest. Knowing the facts of these events is the only way to cut through the noise and understand the actual risks facing our political system.